Residential Aged Care

Residential Aged Care

HammondCare Miranda is a dementia care home consisting of eight small, domestic cottages. Four cottages are home to 15 residents, and four are home to 8 residents.

Built for independence and familiarity

We believe that the best place for people with dementia to be is at home. When this is no longer possible, then our commitment is to provide an environment that looks, feels and operates like a home

Research shows people living with dementia are most comfortable in small, familiar environments. Our cottages are designed to feel as little like an institution as possible, and give residents an opportunity to engage with the rhythms and routines of normal home life.

Residents are encouraged to live and operate in the cottage as they would in a home: the resident is free to spend time in any of the common areas, and the buildings are designed so each choice is a ‘right’ one. This means there are no dead-ends and any locked doors are unobtrusive. There are many visual ‘cues’ about where one is, and where one is heading. To minimise confusion, the central kitchen and living areas are always visible from corridors or other spaces.

HammondCare Miranda has been designed using internationally recognised principles to promote choice, minimise confusion and maximise independence for people living with dementia. You can read more about our principles of dementia design here.

The cottages

Although they are small and familiar, the eight cottages within HammondCare Miranda have a variety of common spaces, allowing residents to choose where and with whom they spend their time.

There are two types of cottages which have slightly different common areas:

15-person cottage

A fully functioning domestic kitchen (26m2)

An open plan lounge and dining area (77m2)

Two sunrooms

A parlour (16m2)

A TV room with fireplace

A backyard and garden

A domestic laundry

Eight-person cottage

A fully functioning domestic kitchen (17m2)

An open plan lounge and dining area (65m2)

A single sunrooms

A parlour (14m2)

A backyard

A domestic laundry

Each cottage is centred around a domestic kitchen and open plan living and dining area. This familiar, open space enables residents to take part in everyday kitchen and household activities.

Off these main common areas is a unisex toilet for general use. The bathroom door has a picture of a toilet, rather than the standard ‘stick-figure’ toilet signs, as these can be confusing for people with dementia.

Sun rooms contain lounge chairs and small tables, providing a common space that also allows a degree of privacy. Sun rooms and parlours are often used by residents to sit and read, or meet with family members for morning tea.

TV rooms have a variety of lounge chairs, a coffee table, a TV with a DVD player, and a stereo system.

Back yards contain barbecues, small pergolas, benches and tables, raised garden beds and washing lines. They are used extensively for activities with residents, and for family visits. All back yards are secure, and garden paths link the outdoors with the indoors, minimising confusion for residents.

The domestic laundries have a washing machine, a dryer, a basin and a clear door so residents can see what is happening inside.

Residents from all eight cottages also have access to a central courtyard which has benches and a pergola, a chapel, a men’s shed and a hairdressing salon.

Rooms and accommodation

The bedrooms and bathrooms in the HammondCare Miranda cottages have been designed to minimise confusion and maximise independence and comfort for residents.

For example, memory boxes filled with personal effects and photos are located at the entrance to residents’ bedrooms to help them identify their private space. Within the room, residents have a direct line of site from their bed to the toilet, promoting independence.

All residents are encouraged to bring their own furniture with them to personalise their bedrooms. If that is not possible, they are provided with a bedside table and a chair. All residents are provided with an electric bed with timber finishes.

Each of the bedrooms at HammondCare Miranda have a built-in wardrobe with a lockable drawer and cupboard. Bedrooms are further enhanced by a padded window seat which creates an inviting private space for residents in their rooms. There are also two drawers underneath the window seats for storing personal effects.

The bedrooms also have large windows with sheer curtains and block-out drapes, television and landline telephone ports, reverse cycle air-conditioning with controls in each room, a nurse call point by the bed and passive room monitoring sensors.

All the bedrooms in HammondCare Miranda have an ongoing maintenance program to ensure that they are in the best possible condition for our residents.

HammondCare Miranda for couples

HammondCare Miranda has single bedrooms, but provisions can be made for couples. For example, couples can be placed in adjacent rooms, with one room set up as the couple’s bedroom and the other serving as a lounge room. Couples with differing care needs can also be placed in different cottages on the same site.

Bathrooms

All the bedrooms at HammondCare Miranda have a large, private ensuite bathroom with ample room for equipment and aides as required. The ensuite bathrooms are in excellent condition and are equipped with an easy-access toilet, a basin and vanity unit with secure, lockable cupboards and an accessible shower unit.

HammondCare Miranda’s bedrooms and private ensuites are approximately 19m2.

Excellence in food and nutrition

HammondCare is committed to an excellent food culture. All food is prepared by staff in Miranda's domestic kitchens, with the help of residents.

Food preparation and planning is overseen by our Executive Chef and nutritionists, who ensure all the residents’ nutritional needs and tastes are catered to, and that varied, fresh and delicious food is available every day.

The model of having a domestic kitchen at the very centre of our cottages strongly influences the food culture at HammondCare Miranda. The meals are, by definition, home-cooked and fresh – prepared and cooked with our residents, in their home. In this matter, like in many others, we strive to make HammondCare Miranda feel as much like a home as possible.

Dementia design features

HammondCare Miranda has been built in line with best practice in dementia design, to enhance residents' sense of autonomy and dignity. Some of Miranda's dementia design features include:

Back of house functions – deliveries and linen trolleys – separated from the cottage environment.

Memory boxes with photos are located at the entrance to residents’ bedrooms to help them identify their private space.

Distinct door handles and moulds in different cottages to help residents with dementia to find their rooms.

Bedroom doors are offset from each other to reduce the likelihood of residents walking into someone else’s room.

Residents have a direct line of site from their bed to the toilet, promoting independence.

Direct line of sight from threshold of bedrooms to sunrooms, living rooms and kitchen, to help assist decision making and prompt way-finding.

Door handles on the built-in wardrobes are highlighted to make them easier to identify.

Wardrobe doors have highlighted panels to distinguish them and assist people to dress themselves independently.

Colour-coded hot (red) and cold (blue) taps for safety.

Toilet seats that contrast in colour to the bowl to promote independent toileting.

Ensuite doors painted in contrasting colours to the walls around them to highlight the bathrooms.

Grab rails that are painted are contrasting colour to the surrounding wall to make them stand out.

Some lounge chairs have seat cushions and back rests with contrasting colours to provide visual cues to residents with dementia and poor eyesight.

Fixtures and maintenance

HammondCare Miranda is all single-storey and has no stairs. There are nurse call outlets located at important points throughout the buildings and all common areas in the cottages have brighter than average lighting for people with poor eyesight. The cottages also have reverse cycle air-conditioning.

In the HammondCare Miranda dementia cottages, back-of-house functions such as deliveries, trollies or equipment are separate from the residents’ spaces. This is to minimise disruption to the household, and ensure residents are in a comfortable, familiar environment.

HammondCare Miranda was built in 2012.

Location

HammondCare Miranda is located at 19 Kiama St, Miranda NSW 2228 in the Sutherland Local Government Area. It is conveniently situated near several public services, attractions and health facilities.

HammondCare Miranda is close to a number of main roads in the Sutherland Shire including Port Hacking Road (500m), The Boulevarde (700m), Taren Point Rd (2km) and the Princes Hwy (2.5km). It is also within walking distance of Miranda Station and a short walk from the 971 (Cronulla to Hurstville) and the 972 (Miranda to Sylvania) bus routes, which connect with local shopping precincts and Miranda station.

The facility also has an on-site minibus which is used for taking residents on outings.

HammondCare’s Miranda site has a range of amenities for residents and their visitors including a men’s shed, a chapel, a hairdressing facility and 50 on-site visitor car parking spaces.

There are also plans to develop an integrated aged care campus with 92 independent living units and a village centre which will contain a wellness centre with a swimming pool and gym, a café, a children’s playground and gym, a lounge and reception area, a chapel, a hairdresser, a craft room and a multi-purpose room. Outdoor spaces in the ILU development will include a village green, a bowling green, a barbecue area, a giant chessboard, a putting green and vegetable gardens for residents.

What do I do next?

HammondCare At Home South East Sydney

South East Sydney Social Club

The South East Sydney Social Club provides a variety of activities and outings in a friendly and caring environment for the frail aged and people with dementia to encourage social interaction and support carers.

Home Care Packages

A Home Care Package is a coordinated package of services tailored to meet a client's specific care needs. Home Care Packages provide older people with an alternative to moving from their home to residential care. A range of care services can be provided as part of a Home Care Package, including care services, support services, clinical services and other services to support people to remain living at home for as long as possible.

There are four levels of home care packages. Levels of care differ depending on assessed need.

Private Care

Private Care offers tailored care services to assist people to remain living at home for as long as possible. Support including personal care, home help, shopping, respite and transport can be provided. This service is provided on a fee-for-service basis.

Private Overnight Care

Private Overnight Care provides help and support overnight. Trained and experienced care staff will come to your home and stay with you, or the person you are caring for, overnight. This service is provided on a fee-for service basis.